The Seattle Seahawks come into Lambeau to take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon in week one action. Both teams made it to the playoffs last season and enter this campaign considered still among the better teams in the NFC. Seattle looks to turn the tables after getting smoked 38-10 by the Packers at Lambeau in week 14 last season. Seattle won a playoff game last season and looks to make a deep run this season. Green Bay, coming off an NFC title game appearance, looks to take it a step beyond that in 2017. Getting off to a good start is a key.

Green Bay endured a tough season in 2016. They started well at 3-1, before dropping 5 of their next six and almost seeing their season derailed. At that point of urgency, the team responded and peeled off a streak of 8 straight wins (including playoffs) and ending up one win from getting to the Super Bowl. A busy offseason shows the Packers to be in "win now" mode.

Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers' early-season performance was alarming last season, but he turned it on late and was playing better than ever—throwing 18 TDs and zero picks over his last 7 games, with stats that were off the charts. They added a nice weapon in TE Martellus Bennett, along with TE Lance Kendricks. With Richard Rodgers already there, they are now very deep at tight end. The rise of Davante Adams last season gives them another top receiver to go with Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Maybe a youngster can chip in, but Ty Montgomery at running back is a potential weak area. With a good center like Corey Linsley, solid tackles David Bakhtiari, and Bryan Bulaga (questionable), this is a good group. A good guard in Jahri Evans was brought in to make up for the loss of TJ Lang.

After being second-worse against the pass in 2016, the Packers need to find answers, especially after losing Micah Hyde and Sam Shields in the offseason. Big draft picks CB Kevin King and S Josh Jones need to hit the ground running, while Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins need to start showcasing their wares. The gem of the bunch is blossoming safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. At linebacker, they look to have Clay Matthews have a little more freedom inside, while Nick Perry (questionable) is on the outside. Blake Martinez, Jake Ryan, and Kyler Fackrell round out the unit. The front is tough with Mike Daniels and if free agent signing Ricky Jean Francois and 2016 first-rounder Kenny Clark can fulfill their high billing, it should be a standout bunch.

This is a key season for Seattle and they need to be on-point to avoid that inevitable slippage that awaits all perennial contenders like the Seahawks. A lot of the reasons they got good are still there. The core of the defense that made them champions is in place. There are some better weapons on offense and Russell Wilson is truly one of the best in the business. And while it's certainly not an original thought concerning the Seahawks, how long can they thrive with an offensive line that is toward the bottom of the list? Adding Luke Joeckel and Oday Aboushi could help, as could moving 2016 first-rounder Germain Ifedi to RT, but all told, those moves are underwhelming with this being such an obvious Achilles Heel of the entire offense.

If the Seattle O-line were to somehow manage to even be average, one wonders what Russell Wilson could do, being that he has thrived at times with little or no help up-front. With Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls (questionable) at running back, they might be as strong as they've been in that area since the days of "Beast Mode." We'll see how Lacy does here in his first game against his old team. That could help an aerial game that has shown flashes recently of being really powerful. Doug Baldwin's ascension to the role of a true number-one receiver has been remarkable. Jimmy Graham, the dangerous tight end, showed he can come back from a bad injury and proved some people wrong by fitting in very nicely last year in this offense. With Jermaine Kearse's production dropping off and getting him shipped to the Jets, look for a bigger role from Paul Richardson and Tyler Lockett, once he works himself back fully from an injury last season.

The defense is still a shining light on this Seahawks team and will need to be big if they want to do memorable things this season. All phases appear to be strong. The Legion of Doom secondary might have a weak link with Jeremy Lane at corner, as Deshawn Shead continues to work his way back, but Richard Sherman is still in his prime and the safety-duo of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor remain tops in the conference. Bobby Wagner inside and KJ Wright outside make for a couple of game-changing linebackers. And up-front, Michael Bennett is a disruptive force at defensive end with Cliff Avril on the other side. Frank Clark makes his presence known. Tackles Athtyba Rubin and Nazair Jones are options on the inside, but the late addition of Sheldon Richardson gives this line even a little extra bite. If only their offensive line could follow suit.

In a game of this nature, whoever is more-ready to hit the ground running has the obvious edge. This is a tough one. But we feel that can be said from a straight-up standpoint. This is a game that just has an up-in-the-air feel to it, which makes us feel like taking the points could be good move. We're taking the Seahawks.

Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Seattle Seahawks plus 3 points. Tired of your credit card not working for sportsbook deposit? End that problem today and bet the Seahawks vs. Packers game by signing up at Bovada Sportsbook where your credit card WILL work and where you'll receive a generous 50% sign-up bonus!

2017 NFL Bye Weeks - The first set start in Week 5 and the final byes take place in Week 11. Loot also gives tips on betting on teams coming off byes.

2017 NFL Coaching Changes - We seem to be in an era where football coaches become disposable in an instant if they don't win. 2016 was no different as a handful of teams made the switch. Check out who went where right here!

Best Quarterbacks of All Time - Joe Montana heads our list of top 10 QB's, however, Tom Brady is a sure bet to give him a run for his money by the time his career is said and done.

Best Running Backs of All Time - We list the top 10 greatest ball carriers of all-time. The order may be debatable, as Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and Walter Payton all brought something special to the gridiron.

Football Lingo - One must be very familiar with all of the terms, slang and jargon associated with this game to win at football betting. Find a slew of pigskin terminology right here!

Football Quotes - Funny and memorable sayings from around the National Football League including comments made by Vince Lombardi and John Madden.